The National Day of Prayer is supposed to be an apolitical gathering. Well, apparently James Dobson didn’t get that memo. After the longtime religious right activist used his speech at a gathering to commemorate the event at the Cannon Office Building on Thursday morning, a Democratic congresswoman was so outraged that she walked out.
Dobson, the founder and former leader of Focus on the Family and the current host of the radio show “Family Talk,” said that President Obama had set out almost as soon as he was sworn in to be “the abortion president.” He was particularly upset by a provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires employers to include contraception coverage in their health? insurance plans, and recently won a temporary injunction that exempts Family Talk from that mandate.
That speech didn’t sit well with Congresswoman Janice Hahn of California. Hahn, who co-chairs the weekly Congressional Prayer Breakfast with Republican Louie Gohmert of Texas, told Roll Call that she was on hand to hear Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, speak later in the event. However, she grew increasingly uncomfortable with the direction Dobson’s speech was taking. Finally, she said, she stood up, told Dobson, “This is completely inappropriate for this day,” and walked out. She’d hoped to get others in her row to follow her, but it’s not known if anyone did.
After calming down a little bit, Hahn said that she felt Dobson’s speech ran counter to the nonpartisan tone normally present in the weekly prayer breakfasts. “I work so hard at putting my politics aside every week and coming together with members of Congress I don’t agree with,” she said, “but we find an hour a week where we put politics aside and pray for our country, and so far, it’s worked.” She said that she plans to ask others who take part in the weekly congressional breakfasts who agree with her to make their feelings known to Dobson. Although the National Day of Prayer Task Force is chaired by Dobson’s wife, Shirley, the event’s official FAQ states that it is completely nonpartisan and not affiliated in any way with either of the groups founded by her husband.
In an interview later that night on Fox News’ “The Kelly File,” Dobson seemed to downplay Hahn’s protest. “One person walked out,” he harrumphed, “and that’s what everybody keys on.” However, Dobson said, the bulk of the audience was “100 percent” with him “because they also believe in the sanctity of life.”
Edited/Published by: SB
Darrell Lucus is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
